City of the Dead Read online

  tremble. Clods of soil shot up as wriggling arms forced their way to the

  surface, followed by the ghastly, grinning faces of two zombies. They twitched

  violently, but with every spasm they crawled farther out of the holes into

  which they'd been placed. Like Zak's nightmare vision of his parents, the

  creatures' pale skin hung limply from their bones. A few thin strands of dead

  gray hair clung to the sides of their heads. Inside one of the monsters' slack

  jaw, Zak could see a thick tongue lying like a dead worm.

  Zak was so frightened by the two undead creatures before him that he'd

  forgotten about the first one. When he tried to run, he felt something

  incredibly strong grab the hem of his cloak, holding him back.

  "Let go of me!" he shouted, wriggling free of the cloak. He let it fall

  to the ground behind him as he ran for his life.

  Zak ran so fast that soon he had left the zombies behind, swallowed up in

  the great fog bank that hung over the cemetery. He had lost them.

  Unfortunately he had lost himself, too.

  Zak was no longer on the path he had taken to the Crypt of the Ancients.

  He didn't know which way to turn. All he could see were rows of headstones.

  There were thousands of them! Even worse, Zak had no idea when another dead

  body might spring out of its grave to grab him.

  Zak's heart was racing. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. It was

  impossible, but it had happened. The dead had risen. Three people had dug

  themselves out of their own graves!

  Could I have caused it? he wondered. Have I offended the dead?

  Whether he had caused it or not, Zak wanted out of the cemetery.

  "Help!" he shouted. "Someone help!"

  A distant voice returned his cry. Zak ran toward the sound of the crying

  voice. "Who's there?" he called out. "Where are you?"

  He heard the voice cry out again and thought he recognized it as Kairn's.

  Kairn had come to help him! Zak hurried toward the sound, keeping an eye out

  for any more of the terrifying creatures. They didn't seem to move very

  quickly, but he didn't want to end up in that cold, powerful grip again.

  "Kairn! Kairn, is that you?"

  "Zak! Where are you?" Kairn's voice came from out of the mist.

  "Here! Here!" he called. "Where are you?"

  "I'm over-aaagh!" Kairn's shout was cut off with a strangled cry.

  "Kairn!" Zak ran even faster, forgetting where he was and vaulting over

  headstones as he raced to where he thought his friend must be.

  A figure materialized out of the fog. For a fraction of a second, Zak's

  heart skipped a beat. Another zombie?

  But the figure wasn't moving. It was about Kairn's size and shape, and it

  slumped against a large rounded headstone.

  "Kairn, is that you?" Zak said as he slowed to a halt. The mist was so

  thick that he could hardly see the figure's face. He peered closer. The eyes

  were wide with horror. The mouth was open, and something red dripped from one

  corner.

  "Kairn!" Zak yelled.

  "He's dead," a hard voice said. "And it looks like you're next."

  Zak whirled around. There was the brutally scarred face he recognized

  from the hologram image Boba Fett had shown them: the face of Dr. Evazan.

  Also known as Dr. Death.

  CHAPTER 7

  Half of Dr. Evazan's face looked normal enough, but the other half was

  covered in scars and sores.

  "I can't believe my luck," Evazan said, grinning from the undamaged side

  of his face. "It looks like I'll have two patients to care for this evening.

  Come on, boy, let the doctor have a look at you."

  With lightning speed, one hand shot out and grabbed Zak by the hair.

  "Ow!" Zak winced. "What did you do to Kairn?"

  "The same thing I'll do to you in just a moment," said Dr. Evazan.

  Evazan's voice was chillingly calm. "I need subjects to work on if I'm going

  to continue my experiments. Healthy young subjects like him. And you."

  Zak's head was tilted backward so he couldn't move it, forcing his mouth

  open. In his other hand, Dr. Evazan held some kind of blood-red berry. He

  crushed the berries in his hand so that the juice dripped out of his palm and

  into Zak's mouth.

  "That's it," Evazan cooed. "Swallow the berry juice and it will all be

  over."

  Zak tried not to swallow. The juice was bitter and made him gag. If he

  could only free himself!

  "Evazan."

  The voice that spoke was as cold as deepest space. The voice of Boba

  Fett.

  Another criminal might have turned to look. Not Dr. Evazan. The moment

  his name was spoken, the evil doctor released Zak and dove for cover behind a

  headstone. A blaster bolt shattered the writing on the face of the grave

  marker.

  Free, Zak spat out the vile-tasting juice and wiped his mouth. He ran to

  where Boba Fett stood as still and calm as a statue.

  "Th-thanks!" Zak cried. "He was going to-"

  "Silence." Fett didn't even look at Zak. Fett scanned the terrain and

  then nodded to himself, as though seeing something Zak could not. "Remain

  here."

  "But we've got to get out of here! There are corpses coming out of the

  ground and..."

  With one hand, Fett grabbed Zak by the shirt collar and pushed him gently

  but firmly to the ground until Zak's ear was pressed against the moist dirt.

  "Remain here," Fett repeated. Holding his blaster at the ready, the

  armored killer strode silently off into the darkness.

  Lying there without his borrowed cloak, afraid to move, Zak wondered if

  he was in shock. Kairn's lifeless body lay a few feet away, the dead eyes

  staring right into Zak.

  To make things worse, somewhere nearby, the dead were waking.

  Zak felt something brush across his cheek. He wiped his hand across his

  face and felt something wet and squishy stick to his hand. When he looked, he

  saw a plump, wriggling white worm wrap itself around his hand. One end of the

  boneworm pressed itself against Zak's skin, and he felt a sharp pain, as

  though something were gnawing at him. He gasped and flicked the boneworm away.

  He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. If he moved, he was

  afraid Boba Fett would shoot him. If he didn't move, one of the zombies might

  find him, or the boneworms might eat him alive.

  Zak felt something else brush across his cheek, but when he reached for

  it, his hand touched the cold muzzle of a blaster.

  Dr. Evazan had found him. "Get up!"

  Without waiting for Zak to obey, Evazan hauled him up and pressed the

  blaster to his back. "You're my little passport out of this mess. Fett's a

  killer, but they say he's choosy about who he sends into the void. You will do

  as you're told, understand?"

  Zak managed a nod.

  Evazan held Zak before him like a shield as he stalked cautiously down

  the path. After only a moment, they saw Boba Fett's bullet-shaped helmet rise

  up before them in the gloom.

  "Don't fire, Fett!" Dr. Evazan warned. "I have the boy with me. So unless

  you want innocent blood on your hands, don't make any sudden moves."

  The figure of Boba Fett remained frozen.

  "Ha!" Evazan sneered as he took a few cautio
us steps forward. "Perhaps

  your reputation is greater than your skills, bounty hunter. You let me

  backtrack you and get to the boy. You should have known that was my only

  chance. That was your last mistake."

  Evazan took a few more steps toward the armored figure.

  "Perhaps you're not really as good as they say, eh?" Another step.

  "Perhaps I should destroy you right now. Put you out of your misery."

  Evazan was close enough to touch Fett now. Fett stood before him,

  absolutely motionless. Still holding tightly onto Zak, Evazan reached forward

  and jabbed the bounty hunter with his blaster.

  The armor, helmet and all, fell apart and clattered to the ground.

  "Wh-?" Evazan started to say.

  He never finished. A blaster bolt screamed through the air. Noise and

  light exploded around Zak, and beside him, Evazan screamed once, then slumped

  forward.

  "Don't turn around." It was Boba Fett. Even without the helmet to filter

  his voice, the bounty hunter sounded cold as durasteel.

  Zak realized that Boba Fett was standing behind him, completely unmasked.

  All he had to do was turn around, and he would see the face that few had ever

  seen, the face of the galaxy's most relentless hunter.

  He didn't turn around.

  "Pick up the helmet." Zak obeyed. "Hand it backward over your shoulder."

  Zak kept his eyes forward and did as he was told. The helmet was snatched

  out of his hand. He heard an electronic snap as fittings locked into place. He

  knew then that he could turn around.

  Boba Fett stood before him, wearing only a jumpsuit and his helmet, and

  holding his blaster.

  "You tricked him," Zak said.

  Boba Fett said nothing. The bounty hunter retrieved his armor and pulled

  a small holorecorder from his pocket. He bent down to examine Dr. Evazan's

  body. Zak watched. "Is he-?"

  "Dead," Boba Fett said into the recorder. "Termination of Dr. Evazan,

  also known as Dr. Death, confirmed by holoscan with medical uplink. Payment

  now due from twelve planetary systems." Fett snapped the recorder off and

  tucked it back into its pocket. Then, with smooth efficiency, he began to put

  his armor back on.

  Zak stammered, "He-he was going to kill me. You saved my life. Thanks."

  The bounty hunter spared the slightest glance. "Thanks are inappropriate.

  You were incidental."

  Suddenly Boba Fett straightened and drew his blaster faster than the eye

  could follow. He seemed to be listening. Zak listened, too, but at first he

  heard nothing. Then, finally, the sound of approaching footsteps reached his

  ears.

  "Zak! Zak!"

  He heard familiar voices call out through the mist. "Tash! Uncle Hoole!

  Over here! We have to help Kairn!" he called back.

  It took a few more blind shouts, but finally Tash, Deevee, and Hoole

  found Zak. They were accompanied by a small band of Necropolitans led by

  Pylum, the Master of Cerements, who looked furious.

  By this time Boba Fett was once again wearing his armored shell. The

  bounty hunter stood calmly by as Zak ran to his sister and uncle. "He's dead!

  Uncle Hoole, Kairn's dead!"

  "Zak, what is going on? What are you doing out here?" Hoole demanded.

  Zak shivered. His fear was wearing off, and he realized he was very cold.

  "I came out here on a dare, Uncle Hoole. But that doesn't matter! Kairn's

  dead! And I saw something-something you're not going to believe. The

  Necropolitans are right! The dead are coming out of their graves!"

  Hoole's brow wrinkled. "What are you babbling about? We heard blaster

  fire."

  "That was him," Zak said, pointing to Boba Fett. "He killed Dr. Evazan."

  "Who?" Hoole asked.

  "Dr. Evazan. The wanted man he was hunting. Him."

  Zak pointed to Evazan's lifeless body.

  "I tracked down a bounty," Boba Fett said. "Evazan is dead. Now I will

  take the body."

  "You cannot do that," Pylum protested. "That would be a terrible

  violation of our laws. The dead-even criminals-must be buried immediately,

  otherwise the Curse of Sycorax will be on all our heads. We will give this

  body the proper ceremonies."

  Boba Fett stared coldly at Pylum for a moment. Zak had the distinct

  impression that the bounty hunter was trying to decide whether or not to

  vaporize Pylum with his blaster.

  Apparently Fett decided he wasn't worth the trouble. "Very well. I have

  recorded the death, and you are all witnesses. If I do not collect my bounty

  from the proper authorities, I will return to collect it from you."

  With those words the armored assassin turned and walked away until he was

  swallowed up by the darkness.

  Meanwhile Pylum had examined Kairn's body, especially the red liquid on

  the side of his mouth. The Master of Cerements stood up and shook his head.

  "Cryptberries. They grow around the graveyards, and they are extremely

  dangerous. The boy has poisoned himself with cryptberries."

  "He didn't poison himself," Zak said. "It was Evazan. He tried to do the

  same thing to me. And before that, I saw corpses crawling out of their graves!

  "

  "I warned you," Pylum said. "The dead are rising! The Curse of Sycorax is

  real!"

  "Ridiculous," Hoole snorted. "Show me these empty graves."

  Zak was frightened. He could see that no one believed him. They returned

  to the Crypt of the Ancients, led by Pylum. Hoole and the others shone

  glowrods all around the crypt.

  But the graves were undisturbed.

  CHAPTER 8

  "That's impossible," Zak whispered. "There were creatures. Zombies! Dig

  up the graves. You'll see that they're empty."

  "We cannot do that!" Pylum argued. "That would be the worst crime of all.

  The dead would never forgive us."

  "But you've got to believe me!"

  "Calm down, Zak," his uncle insisted. "Tell us exactly what happened."

  Zak sighed. "I came into the graveyard on a dare. I was supposed to stick

  a knife in one of the graves to prove I'd gone all the way to the center of

  the cemetery. But when I did, the bodies started crawling out of the ground!"

  Zak could tell that no one believed him. "At first I didn't see anything, but

  I heard noises coming from underground."

  "The ground settling, most likely," Deevee said, tapping the dirt with

  one metallic foot. "All the soil here is loose from so many burials."

  "But then I saw them... dead-white shapes moving in the darkness."

  "Boneworms," Deevee suggested. "You must have seen boneworms crawling on

  the topsoil."

  Zak was growing frustrated. "Oh? Then what about my cloak? Kairn loaned

  me his cloak, and one of the zombies tore it right off my shoulders. It should

  be around here somewhere."

  "Here it is," Hoole said. He held a glowrod over the dropped cloak. "And

  here's your explanation."

  The edge of the cloak was pinned to the ground by the knife Zak had stuck

  into the grave. "You must have caught the edge of the cloak when you stuck the

  knife in. You only thought someone was grabbing you."

  "But I saw them!" Zak insisted.

  Pylum cut in on their conversation. The Necropolitan jabbed one finger
at

  Zak while speaking to Hoole. "It does not matter what the boy thinks did or

  did not happen. The fact is, he intruded on sacred ground. He has broken the

  ancient laws and must be punished in the ancient ways."

  The Shi'ido's frown deepened. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. Zak

  shouldn't have come in here, but he didn't know anything about your laws, and

  he didn't mean any harm."

  "The strangers are right, Pylum," one of the other Necropolitans said.

  "We can't punish offworlders for laws they don't know about."

  Pylum disagreed. "This boy's mischief led to the death of one of our own.

  "

  "Evazan killed him!" Zak said.

  "Will you believe this boy?" Pylum asked his companions. "Or the laws of

  Necropolis?"

  "Let them go, Pylum," said another Necropolitan. "This boy's been through

  enough for one evening."